Hen Coop Licensing

Residents of the Town of Arnprior may now keep backyard hens with an approved licence.

You may keep backyard hens if your property meets the site requirements
You may have up to 4 hens
Your backyard chickens must be hens. To ensure that all chickens are female, hens must be at least 4 months old before residing on your property.
Your hen coop must meet the requirements outlined in the by-law
Bring your chickens to the vet

Only properties zoned residential with minimum lot size of 500m2 are permitted to be licensed.
The following dwellings are not permitted to house hens:
- a) Apartment buildings;
- b) Condominium buildings; and
- c) Properties that do not meet the minimum lot size requirement and/or have insufficient outdoor space.
No coops and runs are permitted in a front yard or exterior side yard;
Property must allow space for these setbacks for the coop:
- A minimum setback of 3.0 m from the property line is required;
- A minimum setback of 1.2 m from the dwelling and other accessory buildings is required;
- A minimum setback of 3.0 m from all windows and doors of dwellings that are located on abutting properties is required;
- A minimum setback of 12.0 m from institutional and/or commercial land uses is required;

A maximum of one (1) hen coop and one (1) outdoor run is permitted per property;
A maximum floor area of 9.2 m2 for a hen coop is permitted;
A maximum height of 2 m for a hen coop is permitted;
Coop is required to be fully enclosed with ventilation. If a heat source needs to be installed, the heat source must be a Canadian Standards Association (CSA) rated product and meet the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) standards upon installation;
Coop is required to be built to prevent rodent(s) from harbouring underneath or within the walls and prevent entrance by any other animal;
Coop is required to have windows and vents which must be predator- and birdproof;
A minimum of one (1) nest box is required;
A minimum of one (1) rodent-proof food and water container is required; and
A minimum of one (1) perch giving 0.3m of space per hen is required

To keep backyard chickens, an initial fee of $50 along with an approved application is required.
To renew your chicken license, there is an annual fee of $25.
All application expire on December 31st and must be renewed by March 1st of the year in which the license is to be issued.

Application Forms

City Hall
123 Conestoga Drive
Glasgow G1 5QH